


Timeless Devotion

by savvie496



Category: Ancient Egyptian RPF
Genre: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Egypt mythology, F/M, Gen, Slow Burn, Steamy Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28800732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvie496/pseuds/savvie496
Summary: "She locked eyes with the Pharaoh, her head never lowering in submission to his god-like presence...  His serpent-green eyes pierced hers as he strode past the officials, clearing the smoke as he passed. His elaborate, golden headdress shone in the dim light. Though his body was mangled with decay, his past life as the most powerful king of Egypt was imminently portrayed in his gait. With a flick of the wrist, he cleared the women away. He confidently eyed her body from beneath his gaze. Unwavering in her stance, Iris never let her eyes fall from his. In that moment, she knew what she must do."Recent college graduate, Iris, finds herself stagnant in a mind-numbing job in her sleepy hometown, battling financial strain and grief of her deceased father, while seeking a future as a foreign diplomat. When she receives an email with an internship offer that seems too good to be true, Iris is off to Washington, D.C. for the career thrill of her dreams. She soon discovers that this "internship" isn't what it seems. Trapped in a complex inter-governmental scheme that involves the resurrection of ancient, historical secrets, Iris's only way out is compliance.
Kudos: 4





	1. What Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story is based on a dream that I had a few months ago, enjoy!

"Four years of work for that, huh?" Iris thought as she strained to reach her incessant phone alarm from her bed. The cap and gown looked so drab and listless hanging in her childhood closet. Four years and 60 grand later, she still rose from the twin, white sleigh bed her mom had bought for her fifth birthday. Stretching her arms above her head and twisting her back to let out a few cracks, Iris sauntered over to the gown, the seemingly universal symbol of success. She felt the silky, dark blue fabric in her hand, positioning it so that the stole faced her straight on. It met her gaze with pride and near regality, the sun highlighting each carefully knit thread and stitch.

It's not like she hated, school, in fact, the last four years had been the most transformative of Iris' life. Along with finding a passion for social justice and international affairs, Iris had lost her beloved father, which plunged the family into financial turmoil. Her mom had picked up a second shift at the hospital, her brother put his dreams of med school on hold and started working for uber, and, as for Iris, she was a fresh post-grad with a polisci degree waiting tables at the neighborhood bar and grill.

A single trill from her phone pulled Iris from this familiar rabbit-hole of depression. She tapped the little screen and saw Ava's name appear. "Where tf are u??" the text read. "Oh shit, work!" Iris yanked the lace tank she had slept in the night before over her head, inadvertently pulling her wavy reddish-blonde hair out of its clasp. Iris shoved the cap and gown out of her way and hastily grabbed her work uniform: a light pink matching skirt and blouse with a white apron. The diner prided itself with having a "blast from the past" feel. For Iris, this meant parading around in a '50s style waitress outfit for men who often seemed to feel the need to comment on it. But, hey, tips are tips.

After popping the skirt on and tying the apron around her waist, Iris carefully buttoned her blouse and brushed her wild hair up into another clasp where it must remain until closing. "Coming!" she returned Ava's anxious text and rushed out of her room and down the steps, to that old rattle-trap of a pickup truck that belonged to her dad once upon a time. "Bring me back a hot dog combo with a pepsi, Love!" Her mom called from the living room. " And my baby back home safe of course!" "Yes, mama!" Iris smiled. Despite going through one of the worst heartaches imaginable, Iris' mother sacrificed everything for she and Joel, even her own grief. Carri picked up an extra shift at Johnson Medical soon after her husband passed, and saved every penny for Joel and Iris' school. Lately, Iris noticed, she was home more than usual. No doubt the groans and creaks that Iris heard passing by her mom's room had something to do with her cutting back time at work. She had run herself ragged. Carri was finally relaxing at home for the weekend and Iris was determined that, following graduation, she was gonna make her mom proud and take some of the burden off.

Right now, this meant serving burgers to the local, nostalgic old souls at Papa Pete's, who longed for a life reminiscent of the "good ole days" while Iris only dreamed of the days to come. She had to put her goals of moving to the nation's capital on hold to help her family, but, one day, Iris was determined to make it as an international diplomat. Her days at undergrad sparked a passion for social justice and improving international relations inside her. She had even been chosen as a presenter for the American College of Aspiring Young Political Leaders. Her topic of interest was taking a deep dive into famous historical means of resolving conflict and applying the tried and true to current affairs. Out of all the faces in that room full of young try-hard Bill Clintons in stuffy blazers, her mom's was the only one that mattered. That look of pure pride engrained itself in Iris' mind; she wasn't gonna let that one moment from when she was 19 be the proudest her mom would ever be of her. But, for now, the ACAYP wasn't gonna pay the bills.

Iris felt the truck lurch as she sped onto Cedar Drive, already five minutes late to her shift. Stevie Nicks' raspy voice overpowered Iris's thoughts, and she let loose and rolled down the window to belt out the chorus to Edge of Seventeen. Pulling into the gravel lot of Papa's, Iris could already see Carlos through the front window frantically running between the stove tops and the salad bar, she knew she was in for it today. 

Iris swung open the creaky back door of the restaurant and punched in her time sheet. "Hey Roja, where you been?" Carlos demanded, quickly assembling a burger for an impatient customer at the bar "There's people been waiting here for an hour!". "Sorry, Carlos, I overslept." Iris took the plate over to the bar with a smile. "Sorry 'bout that wait, Sir, this bird didn't catch any worms this mornin'!" The man chuckled and his hard expression relaxed. "Hey Darlin, no worries." He slid a $5 bill over the counter toward Iris, which she took, but not too eagerly. "Thanks s'much." She strode back toward the stoves and faced an astonished Carlos. "How'd you do that? That guy was giving me the stank eye for half an hour." "Years of customer service," she laughed and pulled up her sleeves to wash a batch of dishes. 

"So there's been a rush?" "Yeah, it's been crazy here today, people got nothing better to do than eat their way into heart disease." Iris chuckled. "Since when are you the health nut?" "My dad's doctor has him on some kind of no meat diet, says it can help along with the medication." Iris' smile faded. Shortly after her own dad died, Iris took this job at Papa's. Carlos was already working as a cook after getting his paralegal associate's degree. His dad suffered a massive heart attack, and the medical bills stacked up too much for his mom and brothers to handle, so Carlos stepped in to help. That was two years ago. "How's good old Jefe, I miss seeing him around here!" "Oh he misses you and Ava, but he says the food here is too tempting and he doesn't wanna break his diet." "Aw, that's too bad! Tell him I'll pick up some veggie burger meat just for him and he can come hang out here on his lunch break again, it's not the same without him!" Carlos smiled, "Yeah I miss hearing everybody laugh, it made me look forward to the lunch rush." "Ha!" Iris belly laughed, "you don't even like when there's one table filled." Carlos blushed and cracked a smile, his caramel eyes sparkled and met hers. A lock of hair fell from Iris' ponytail as she laughed, and Carlos gently twirled it in his fingers and pushed it behind her ear, his blush deepening. "You always help me see the sunshine, Roja."


	2. An Unexpected Beginning

"Alright, I got four hot dog combos with two chocolate and two strawberry shakes, with four large sweet teas, and an aspirin for me after dealing with that old coot at the bar." Ava strode in, and Carlos immediately dropped his hand to his side and quickly steered past Ava out into the dining room. Ava glanced toward him and back toward Iris, a curious side smile on her face. "Uh, what was that about girl?" Ava asked excitedly. She had joked about setting Iris up with Carlos practically when she started work. "We were just catching up." Iris shook her head at Ava with a smile. "So any news on that cosmetology program yet." "Nope," Ava said gloomily. "But Great Clips over on Country Club is practically begging me to get some experience there." Ava'a neon pink hair and array of tattoos down her arms displayed her obvious creativity. "What about you, Babe? What comes next after you get your diploma?" Iris looked down at the newly cleaned dishes she had washed. "I'm gonna start with taking those shakes to Table 5." Iris carefully stacked the plates and balanced them on her right arm while gliding toward the dining room, bumping the door open with her hip. 

The shift went by quickly, thinking of a future with virtually no change for the time being causes the mind to stay occupied. "Hey, Roja, it's almost closing, you alright?" Iris glanced up to see Carlos with car keys in hand. She looked back down at her task, she still had at least ten rolls of quarters to go. "Shit, sorry C." She began to pack up the coins to begin the next day. "No, let me help you, that's the only way we'll get it done, eh?" Iris laughed and Carlos flashed a smile. "What's been on your mind today, the big graduation?" "Yeah, more about the day after that." Iris shook her head, and Carlos solemnly looked at the her. "How's your mom? You know what I've said about you needing anything." Iris looked at him and put on a solemn smile. "She's good, finally getting a few days off from the hospital. And as much as that means to me, I couldn't ask you for anything with all you've got going on too." Carlos nodded and met her gaze. "Bueno, the offer still stands, always." Iris reached into the coin box and felt cardboard. "Oh! Looks like we're done, thanks for giving me a hand, it really helped." Carlos stood up and twirled his keys in his hand. "Eh, I told you, you need me to get anything done around here!" 

Iris arranged the new rolls of coins back in the box and wiped her hands on her apron. "Let's go, Asshole." Iris pushed his arm and the two of them strode out into the gravel parking lot. The stars shown brightly and distinctly in the night, something Iris would miss if she ever moved to a big city. "Goodnight Carlos." Iris pressed the unlock button on the truck and heard it beep. "I'll wait til you get in to go." He replied, leaning against his Chevrolet with his hands in his pockets. "Thanks." Iris lowered her eyes and smiled. "See you tomorrow, Roja." Carlos waved and unlocked his car. Iris hopped in the driver's seat and cranked the engine. The radio immediately started blaring and she saw Carlos laugh and shake his head. She turned to the news station and pulled onto the road toward home. 

As she drove into the night, Iris couldn't help imagining that the blank canvas of stars resembled her future ahead: unsure and dark, but could she dare hope, beautiful? She lowered her window, letting the warm air wisp through her hair, the trees lazily greeting her with gentle waves in the wind. Before she knew it, Iris was parked in the driveway of her house and saw that all the lights were off. She quickly darted up the front steps and eased open the door. She crept up the steps and peered into her mom's room. Sound asleep. 'Good, she needs some rest.' Iris thought. Joel's door was closed but the light was off. No doubt sleeping after a long day of driving all over for Uber. Iris stepped lightly down the hallway to avoid making any creaks and eased her bedroom door behind her. 10:30. Iris felt ancient for being tired so early. She plopped down at her desk and typed in her email address. She was determined to look for another job. By cutting down her hours at Papa's, she could search for a job with benefits and a higher salary to help keep the bills paid and maybe save for grad school? 

The soft blue light of her phone lit up the room and Carlos' contact appeared. "You make it home okay, Lady?" The text read. Iris smiled and began typing: "Yep just made it, Mom and Joel are sawing logs." She added a winky face emoji. The first time Iris had used that expression around Carlos, he looked outside to see who was chopping down trees. Southern dialect is truly something. "Ha, glad they're resting. See you tomorrow, okay? Let's talk after close." Iris held down on the message and "loved" it. Iris felt butterflies and turned the phone over so she could focus. Whatever came next, she felt steady and sure with Carlos. That's part of why they gravitated toward each other, a mutual need for stability and support. Sure his glistening black hair and amber eyes could have made her stomach light up, but it was the sureness that she grew to love. If nothing more, she had a lifelong friend in Carlos. 

Iris pulled up her email and started thinking of contacts that she would reach out to: local governmental internships in Wilson County, the state governor's office, and Starbucks. That discount coffee would be a nice perk. Her laptop chimed. A new message came in the same moment she had opened her inbox. "Congratulations, Iris Shriver" was the subject. Iris' nerves lit up, mostly from anxiety that a spam account had gotten ahold of her last name. She curiously clicked on the email and began to read: 

Dear Ms. Shriver, you have been selected for an extremely coveted internship opportunity in Washington, D.C. in which you will serve as personal assistant to Senator William Porter and compose your own initiative proposal by the end of the year. We recognize your academic prowess throughout your undergraduate career as you achieved magna cum laude each semester of attendance with very rigorous course loads. The admittance counsel especially took an interest in your speech with The American College of Aspiring Political Leaders. With such rhetoric skills of persuasion and well-researched content, you set yourself apart from your colleagues. You will be compensated with $20,000 for an entire year of work with Senator Porter if you choose to proceed. Please contact me with any questions that you may have concerning this opportunity. Your flight has been booked for this upcoming Saturday, the 21st of May, but you may choose to cancel if you wish. I would ask that you carefully consider this opportunity, you are a highly esteemed candidate. Best Regards, Gerald Goldstein. The Office of the Senate of the United States of America.


	3. The Decision

'Next Saturday, the fuck?' Iris thought. 'Is this real? Did one speech in a Holiday Inn conference room get me on the senator's radar?' She couldn't believe it. If this email was legit, she was in for a whole different road ahead. And it paid a lot more than she would make at Papa's this summer. She'll have to get a week's worth of business casual clothes. The matching gray blazer and business pants from Belk wasn't gonna cut it for an internship in D.C. Where would she live? Who tf was Gerald Goldstein and how could he see her college transcript? No scam message had ever known her grades or achievements before. This had to be real. It was the big break she needed after so much work. 

Iris crept toward her bedroom door and peered down the hallway. She was met with pitch black and the sound of quiet snoring. No, it was better not to disturb her mom. Iris eased the door shut and sat down on the bed. She tapped the home screen of her phone and clicked on Ava's contact. "Hey, just got the weirdest email. Take a look for me?" Iris screenshotted the email from the mysterious Gerald Goldstein and sent the picture to Ava. A bubble appeared with Ava's pending response. "Not weird, AMAZING" her phone practically shouted. "Also good news- I got into a cosmetology program in Florida for the year! We're both getting what we deserve. Manifest it, Hun!" Iris couldn't help but let the nervous excitement bubble up from her stomach into her fingers as she eagerly typed: "If you do it I do it." "That's a bet." Ava decided the next year for the both of them in such a short declaration. So that's it then. Iris clicked out of the conversation to messages. The butterflies left as quickly as they came. Carlos. What would he think? Would he be angry with her for leaving? Of course he'd never say it, but would he resent her for jumping ship as soon as the summer started? It was only a few hours drive from South Carolina, he could visit her whenever he pleased. That is if he didn't hate her guts after she told him the news. 

Iris tossed and turned in bed, the sheets ruffling around her body, as she peered through the cracks in her blinds. The moon shown bright and full, illuminating the darkness that lay below. It was only a year. A stepping stone into her career. This was what she wanted, right? A few more hours drudged on. Iris still lay awake, her blue eyes highlighted by the moon. She rolled onto her side and tapped her phone screen. Shit, 2:30 am. Her flight would be leaving in four days now. 

"Iris?" Iris' head snapped up as she heard her mom's voice. Cari was hovering between the hall and her bedroom, her silk pajamas wrinkled from sleeping. "Everything alright, hun? I saw your computer screen was up." Iris didn't even notice that she had left her laptop open. "Yeah Mama, I got the strangest email last night." Iris motioned her mother inside and Cari sat down at the edge of the bed. "What happened, Honey?" The moonlight striped through the openings in the blinds. It shown on Cari's wrinkled face and graying blonde hair. Though aged from tragedy, her mother was a beautiful woman. Right now, the look in her crystal eyes showed concern. "It's for some kind of internship with the Senator, it says my flight to D.C. is already book for Saturday. It's a year's commitment. " Cari's eyes widened. "With the senator? That's amazing! We have to get you all new clothes! Where are you living? Oh Lord I hope not with the senator. We'll have to-" "Mom, I don't know if I'm gonna do it." Iris blurted out. "It's so sudden and you and Joel need me here to help pay the bills."

"Lord, Iris If I hear you say that anymore I'm gonna scream. You're going, end of story. It's the chance of a lifetime! If you really want to help me, Hun, go live your dreams! We'll be right here when you need us. It's what your dad would have wanted for you" Cari smiled and brushed a lock of golden hair from Iris' face. "Go, just don't forget about old Mama, huh?" Iris snickered. "Way to use the dad card on me. Nobody could forget you, Mama." "It's settled then. Four days, that's plenty of time to get you all set. Be sure to let that Carlos up at your job know as soon as you can, huh? He's one to keep around." Cari winked, quickly kissed Iris' head and padded across the room to go back to bed.


End file.
